1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a photoelectric conversion module.
2. Description of the Related Art
As transmission mediums, for example, in the connection between a server and a switch in a data center and in the connection between digital AV (audio visual) devices, optical fibers are also used in addition to metal wires. Further, in recent years, the use of optical fibers as transmission mediums, that is, optical interconnection, also in information processing devices such is as mobile phones and personal computers has been considered. Refer to Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 2009-21459, for instance.
When the optical fiber is used, a photoelectric conversion module converting an electrical signal to an optical signal or converting an optical signal to an electrical signal is required. For example, a photoelectric conversion module disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 2010-10254 includes a flexible board, and on the flexible board, a light-emitting element or a light-receiving element is mounted as a photoelectric conversion element together with an IC chip. Further, an optical waveguide is formed integrally on the flexible board, and a tip portion of an optical fiber is fixed in a groove formed in the optical waveguide.
In the photoelectric conversion module disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 2010-10254, the flexible board extends beyond a side surface of the IC chip, and the tip portion of the optical fiber is fixed to an extending portion of the flexible board. This has made it difficult to downsize the flexible board in this photoelectric conversion module. That is, this photoelectric conversion module has a problem that a length to fix the tip portion of the optical fiber to the flexible board becomes short if the flexible board is downsized, resulting in weak connection strength of the optical fiber.